Seeking Peace: Notes and Conversations Along the Way [Paperback]

Johann Christoph-Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

We live in a world of violence. We see it in movies and on television news. It happens in our schools and in distant countries. And it happens most of all, Johann Christoph Arnold argues, in our hearts. It is there in these inner battlegrounds where change can and must begin. But it all starts with the individual choice to seek peace within oneself.

In this important work by one of our most admired religious thinkers, Johann Christoph Arnold shows the many paths toward inner peace taken by people from all walks of life. Guiding us toward a new vision of ourselves, Seeking Peace is a gift of love, wisdom, and hope. This book shows us how to end the long-standing conflicts within us, release the anger that blinds us, and take the first brave steps that -- by the effort itself -- will make us more peaceful people and the world a better place to be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I highly recommend Seeking Peace. In an age when bestseller lists bombard us with feel-good-about-yourself spirituality, Arnold dares to write frankly and deeply about the components of true peace: self-sacrifice, obedience, humility, and even longsuffering--unpopular ideas indeed. As Arnold points out, true peace is a radical state, not for the faint of heart. I am grateful for this insightful book, especially for the way it draws not only on the author's own Christian faith, but on the wisdom of other traditions. -- Bo Lozoff, Director, The Human Kindness Foundation

Peace builds on justice and the mercy of forgiveness. It also begins by being peace. These simple truths are manifested by this beautiful and compelling book...This book has something to say to those of all faiths, and further, to believer and non-believer alike. -- John Michael Talbot, author, The Lessons of St. Francis.

Seeking Peace inspires each of us to seek peace within our own hearts...The stories in this book give hope that with God's grace and through our acceptance of his will, we can find wholeness, happiness, and harmony, which is, after all, the fulfillment of God's plan for humanity. -- Mairead McGuire, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Seeking Peace is a gem. The candor, simplicity, and humanity of the whole text, and especially of the anecdotes, should recommend it to an exceedingly wide reading public. -- Thomas Howard, author, Christ the Tiger

Seeking Peace is solidly rooted in the Christian--and even Jewish and Buddhist--tradition. As Arnold reminds us, Jesus' peace has nothing to do with passivity, nor is it for the spineless or self-absorbed. It demands deeds of love. -- Thomas Green, author, When the Well Runs Dry --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Johann Christoph Arnold has served as minister and senior elder of the Bruderhof community since 1983. He has traveled the world with his message of peace, meeting with prominent religious leaders, including Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and Thich Nhat Hanh. He is the author of five other highly acclaimed books in the realm of spiritual literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Plume (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452281865
• ISBN-13: 978-0452281868
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #860,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bracingly incisive and timely exploration of peace., November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Seeking Peace: Notes and Conversations Along the Way (Hardcover)

I suspected I'd love this book from the humility apparent in the title phrase "SEEKING Peace": not "having" or "finding" but simply seeking. On the face of it, Johann Christoph Arnold's latest appears to promise less than the forgettable multitude of self-help titles which claim to offer easy methods of achieving peace--with their implication not only that peace is a commodity you can own, but also that once attained it will become a permanent attribute of your character. Arnold promises less, but what this book gives is something infinitely more valuable and original than a quickie peace fix.

This book offers and demands honesty with ourselves and others in our search for peace. Beginning with a section called "Paradoxes", Arnold recognizes that peace is a slippery concept that's easily warped by doublespeaking politicians, New Age gurus, or self-righteous activists. The center piece of the book is a section of fifteen "stepping stones" on the way to piece, including forgiveness, humility, honesty, conviction, and realism. The final section of the book expresses a vision of true peace: peace is creative force whose characteristics are justice, wholeness, and joy.

If I have one argument with the book, it is that the chapter on "Justice" might have been given a more prominent place in the structure of the book. A deepgoing meditation on the slogan "No justice, no peace", this chapter stands alone as an awesome statement of spiritual truth, which takes full account of the horrors of oppression while reaffirming the power of reconciliation. For me, this moment of synthesis is the heart not only of the book, but also of all sincere religious and social movements.

No one said it better than the author Jonathan Kozol, who is quoted on the back cover of Arnold's book: "SEEKING PEACE is a tough, transcendent envisioning of peace: neither fatuous nor sentimental, but arduous and courageous." Every person of good will, of whatever denominational or political stripe, owes it to themselves to embrace, and act on, Arnold's message.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb collection of testaments to peace, November 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Seeking Peace: Notes and Conversations Along the Way (Hardcover)

True peace is controversial and hard-won, even attacked at times. The centerpiece for Arnold's book is the words of Jesus: "My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you." Unfortunately, the vast majority of us seek peace, happiness and fulfillment with a vengeance in all the wrong places. With hearts burdened by worry and care and a nagging sense of dread, our lives end up becoming a hectic morass of unpeace and disenchantment. The answer, says Arnold through the real life experiences of many friends, lies outside of ourselves. True peace is found by not trying to find it; by forgetting about oneself and devoting one's life to the service of others. Only the reading of the many personal accounts in this book will do these thoughts justice. Give yourself and others a true education, far above the din of saccharine self-help manuals and the watery spiritual soup served up in tomes everywhere. Read this book!